Severus stood standing where Hermione had left him for a moment before he calmy exited the hall, seeking out his betrothed. By the time he had gotten out of the doors, Hermione had gotten away from the immediate vicinity of the hall.
"Damn", he muttered to himself.
For a moment, he stood, unsure what to do. It couldn't be a wise idea to wait too long to seek her out. In a rather ingenious move, he cast a point me spell keyed to her school bag. He immediately felt the lurch of the spell's pull that led him up the nearest set of stairs. He followed the instinctual pull of magic until he found himself on the seventh floor. He cast a finite to end the spell. If she were in this part of the castle, there were only two places to go for privacy. He strode down the hallway towards the astronomy tower but noticed something out of the ordinary. The door to the Room of Requirement was present. Someone was inside. He approached the door and tapped a gentle knock on the door. He stood awkwardly for a moment before the door was hesitantly cracked open. A flash of long red hair indicated that the girl Weasley had answered the door, and she was looking at him distrustfully.
"She doesn't want to see you right now.", she whispered firmly.
Severus heard some sort of commotion inside. Before he could investigate further, the door slammed open, and Potter's fist had collided with his nose.
"Fuck", Severus exclaimed.
As he hunched over, holding his now bleeding nose, he heard Hermione and Ginny shouting at the boy. Hermione rushed to pull him into the room, practically shoving him down onto a couch.
"I am so sorry, sir!", she exclaimed. Out in the hallway, Ginny was whispering furiously to Harry, who had the decency to look contrite.
Hermione put her face just inches away from his, momentarily pulling his hand away from his bloodied nose. She examined him for a moment and spoke uneasily.
"Um, sir. I think you should go to the hospital wing. I only know episky, and that might hurt worse than getting punched did."
Severus replied, muffled by the hand pinching his nose.
"I would rather avoid a very public visit to the hospital wing given the circumstances. I assure you, Miss Granger, I can handle a quick snap."
Hermione looked uneasy. She hesitantly pointed her wand at her professor's nose and whispered the incantation.
"Episky"
A sharp-sounding crack came from the man's nose, but he barely winced. Hermione cast a tergeo charm to clear the bright staining from his white color and the not as visible staining from his black frock coat. She looked closely at his nose for signs of healing, and she noticed that its hook seemed a bit more pronounced than it had before.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir! It looks like it didn't heal perfectly. You should go see Madame Pomphrey to get properly healed."
Snape hummed in disagreement.
"Broken noses always leave their marks. This was not the first time that my nose has reformed, and I am almost certain that it will not be the last."
At that moment, Ginny and Harry returned from the hallway, Harry looking like a scolded child. They stood still for a moment, awkwardly. Hermione motioned them to sit on the ottomans near the couch. After they sat, she straightened her back and stared expectantly at Severus. Sensing that she wished for him to explain their situation, he spoke.
"I'm sure that you both have concerns regarding the impending nuptials of Miss Granger and myself."
Harry scoffed, but Snape glared at him. He continued.
"Headmaster Dumbledore has arranged our match to ensure that neither myself nor Miss Granger be forced to wed someone who would put the Order in jeopardy. We are the only two Order members affected by the law at present."
Looking up at his audience, Severus frowned slightly as he was met with blank stares from Harry and Ginny.
"But Hermione isn't even in the Order!", Harry exclaimed.
Hermione smiled softly and placed a hand on Harry's arm.
"I became eligible when I came of age. I was inducted last night."
Still processing, Harry and Ginny were silent for a moment. Ginny was the next to speak.
"So, Hermione will be your wife, and you two will have three children in the next five years."
Harry's eyes widened in understanding. There was a heavy fog of awkwardness that hung in the air. Severus frowned and answered.
"We will be held to the same policies as all matched couples under the law. It is certainly not ideal for myself or Miss Granger, but both of you know that my position is a delicate one in the Order and in the Dark Lord's ranks. Were I to leave my match up to the ministry, they could have assigned me to a loyal death eater, which would have ceased my work in the Order. As for Miss Granger, she was at a similar risk. Under this law, there is not much that a witch can do to protect themselves from unwanted advances of their husbands. A loyal death eater or similarly perverted man could have easily been assigned to Miss Granger, which would have endangered her safety and wellbeing."
Harry and Ginny nodded silently as they came to understand the circumstances of their friend's engagement.
"So this is why you didn't seem too upset this morning? You already knew.", Ginny said to Hermione, telling more than asking.
"Yes, Ginny", she replied.
Harry spoke up with more certainty than he had managed to muster since assaulting Professor Snape.
"Ron's going to be bloody pissed."
Hermione gasped.
"I can't believe I didn't think about him. Oh Harry, can you talk to him? Professor Snape and I have much to discuss this morning, and I don't want him to find out from gossip."
Harry smiled nervously.
"I suppose I could do that. Ginny, you'll come with me?"
Ginny nodded, eager to abscond from the extremely awkward situation with her best friend and professor. The two quickly collected their things and scurried out of the room, leaving Hermione alone with Professor Snape. The two sat in silence for a moment, both thinking about what more could be said on their situation. Severus cleared his throat.
"Would not be an appropriate time to visit your parents? We can wait until the evening if they are working, but I have cleared my day to arrange our nuptials."
Hermione smiled softly then set her mouth to a straight line.
"The dental practice is closed on Mondays, so my mum and dad should be home. If they are out, we can ring them from the home phone. They both have mobiles."
Severus nodded in agreement.
"We should move to my office. We will be able to use the floo."
Hermione looked at him curiously. He knew that her muggle parents' home would not be connected to the floo. He continued.
"We can floo to my residence and apparate to your home from there."
Hermione objected.
"But sir! I don't have my license. I haven't even started lessons yet!"
Severus did not let her continue on her tirade.
"Children or adults without a license may side-along apparate. I assure you that I am fully licensed."
Hermione felt a bit dense. She knew that side-along apparition existed, but she just hadn't been able to clearly think this morning. She smiled with forced cheer and spoke.
"Well, I suppose we should depart now."
Hermione slung her school bag onto her back, the straps practically groaning at the weight of all of the tomes inside. She picked up her remaining books that did not fit in her bag from a small table and moved towards the door. Severus awkwardly extracted the books from her hands and opened the door wordlessly. Hermione smiled at him hesitantly. It was…nice that he was carrying her books for her. It seemed a little out of character, but Hermione hoped that it was a step in the right direction. As they walked through the hallways, they received a few stares from older students who must have heard the news that the Chosen One's muggle-born friend was betrothed to the newly inaugurated headmaster of Hogwarts. Whispers could be heard through the hallways, but Hermione could only catch broken fragments of their content.
"-gets to fuck the mudblood every night until she has birthed three of his heirs."
Severus bristled as he caught the tail end of the sixth year Slytherin boys' lewd commentary. He snapped.
"Fifty points from Slytherin, Donaldson!"
Hermione shot him a grateful look. As they approached the main staircase, Hermione moved to descend it. Severus spoke softly so as not to embarrass her in front of her peers who were watching the pair closely.
"My new office, Miss Granger."
Hermione nodded in understanding, still struggling to comprehend that Dumbledore was no longer the headmaster. The pair continued towards the headmaster's office, which was only a short distance down the corridor. Once they reached the gargoyle, Severus hissed the password. Hermione chuckled. He obviously had not set a new password in the few hours since he became the headmaster because Hermione highly doubted he would willingly say 'curlywurly'. The gargoyle moved aside, and he gestured for Hermione to step onto the staircase first. He took the step behind her, and they ascended the staircase. Hermione didn't want to think about what her peers were saying in the corridor. She was entering Snape's office alone with him less than an hour after it had been announced that they would be getting married. When they reached the heavy door at the top of the staircase, Severus laid his hand on the wood and the wards melted away. He pushed the door open with his free hand and the two entered the office. Hermione choked down a gasp at the change in the office. She had been used to Dumbledore's cozy rugs and cushy chairs, but there was none of that in the office. Snape's sparse décor and furniture from his office in the dungeons looked even sparser and more spartan in the grand room of the headmaster's office. The small chairs and table from his office in the dungeons looked strange when set up next to the massive headmasters' desk.
"I have not had a chance to redecorate since my things were moved in this morning if you'll forgive me.", he stated drily.
Hermione smiled sheepishly.
"I was just shocked by the change. I never realized how much furniture Professor Dumbledore had in here until I saw the room empty."
Pressing his lips into a straight line, Severus spoke.
"Perhaps you can choose the furnishings on Saturday. It interests me very little, but I don't want the headmasters' office to seem…unwelcoming."
Hermione snorted. Since she was eleven years old, the man's office, classroom, and demeanor had been unwelcoming.
"I could do that, sir."
Severus set down Hermione's books on the large headmasters' desk and turned towards the door behind the desk. Hermione had noticed it before but had never really taken great interest in what the headmasters' accommodations were like. She set her bag down on one of the chairs and followed him. Once she approached, he took her hand firmly. She looked up at him in shock, and he met her stare with a quirked eyebrow. He placed the hand in his grasp against the door and chanted a rhythmic incantation. A blue light shimmered over the door, stemming from where Hermione's hand was placed. Severus spoke.
"Push the door open."
She complied and the door swung open revealing a sitting room. Hermione had nothing to compare the room to, but she imagined that the situation was similar to that of the office. There was a single wing back chair with a small table flanking it near the hearth. Looking into a small kitchenette, Hermione saw a stove with a kettle resting on one of the unlit burners. There was a small wooden table with one chair. Hermione frowned. Professor Snape obviously didn't have company over very often. Her gaze returned to the main sitting room. What the room lacked in furnishings, it made up for in its floor to ceiling bookshelves. The shelves were cluttered with books stacked vertically and horizontally. The wood shelves sagged a bit in the center under the sheer weight of paper and leather. Hermione excitedly approached one of the shelves and ran her fingers along the spines of the books. Severus watched in amusement for a moment before clearing his throat.
"Perhaps you can continue to molest my personal library when we return from your parent's home."
She blushed and pulled her hand back towards her person. He spoke again.
"We should floo to my home now. I will don muggle attire for the visit to your parents' home, and I have none here."
Hermione internally smiled at the thought of Professor Snape in anything other than a frock coat or his billowing, black robes.
"Yes sir. Will we floo together?"
Severus replied.
"We must. The headmaster is the only figure who may floo in or out of the school. Step onto the hearth."
Hermione stepped onto the brick and Severus reached into a pot on the mantle, pulling out a generous handful of floo powder.
"Wrap your arm around me.", he instructed.
She obliged, wrapping her arm around his waist, and consequently, pressing her body against his side. He didn't acknowledge her embrace and threw the powder down.
"Spinner's End", he stated confidently. Hermione felt her body press closer to his as they jostled through the floo network. Landing roughly in a new hearth, Hermione stumbled. Severus grasped her arm to prevent her from falling onto her face. Pulling herself against him, Hermione laughed nervously.
"Thanks, sir. Sorry about that. I don't floo very often."
Professor Snape ignored her apologies.
"You may sit in that chair.", he said pointing to the singular chair near the hearth. Hermione was noticing a theme with his furnishings. He didn't welcome company in his home. She distracted herself for a moment looking out the window. There were smokestacks nearby with clouds of smoke billowing from their mouths. Severus continued speaking.
"I will return momentarily. Do not touch anything. The books on these shelves are kept here because they are too dangerous to be kept on the same grounds as some overconfident imbeciles."
Hermione sat down in the chair and twiddled her thumbs, keeping her eyes trained on her hands. She exuded an air of hurt. Severus sighed.
"I do not mean to belittle you, Miss Granger. I assure you that you are an outlier among the apathetic masses that make up your peers. I will return shortly."
He looked at her through the curtain of his hair as he turned, but she was still sitting meekly in the chair, staring at her lap. He brushed off her reticence, ascending the stairs to his bedroom. Entering the room, he approached his small writing desk first. Opening the center drawer, he examined the contents. Scattered muggle pictures littered the drawer. Severus took a moment to mournfully stare at the photos. In one, a young man and woman stood smiling in front of a small cake table, dressed in their best clothes clasping hands. In another, a handsome family sat for a portrait, a small baby boy sitting on his proud father's knee with his mother standing behind the two with a gentle hand placed on the man's shoulder. His eyes were drawn to another photo. A sullen teenage boy with lank hair and baggy robes stood next to an equally sullen older woman. A man's figure stood on the opposite side of the boy, but the photo was torn, as if he had been ripped out of the memory. He forced himself to pull his attention away from reminiscing. He shuffled through the pictures, ignoring the pangs of a feeling he couldn't quite place, and he found what he had been looking for. He extracted the small leather box and flicked it open. Staring at what had been his mother's engagement ring and wedding band, he breathed sharply and closed his eyes for a moment. He pulled the engagement ring out of the box and set it down on the table. Poking around the drawer some more, he found the other item he was looking for. He felt something strange staring down at what had been his father's wedding band. The man was hardly a model husband or father, but the rings were Prince heirlooms that the impoverished Tobias and Eileen had happily used in their haste to wed after finding out that they were expecting a child. He placed the two wedding bands in the box and pocketed it. Remembering that Hermione was waiting for him, Severus walked towards the closet and opened the door. He pulled out a charcoal jumper and tossed it onto his bed. Using his wand, he drew a line down the front of his frock coat. The buttons neatly came undone in its wake. Shrugging out of the heavy garment, Severus was left in a white oxford button down shirt and his trousers. He pulled the jumper over his shirt, adjusting the white shirt collar to lay flat. He took a moment to collect himself. He would have to face the parents of his student who would be his wife by the end of the week. Not wanting to make Hermione wait any longer, he snagged the engagement ring off the desk and walked out the door, locking it behind him. He descended the stairs, but he paused when he saw Hermione using the sleeve of her school robe to dry her wet eyes. He continued descending the stairs, and she looked up, hastily dropping her hand from her face. Severus spoke, not really knowing what the right thing to say was.
"Miss Granger, I…"
Hermione sniffled and cut him off.
"I'm sorry, Professor Snape. I don't know why I keep crying. I'm supposed to be an adult now."
Her head was now pointed down, resting in her hands with her elbows on her knees. Severus awkwardly approached the chair that she sat in and gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Miss Granger, I have something for you."
She looked up at him, her eyes rimmed in red. He held the engagement ring in two fingers, and she stared at the object for a moment. She raised her left hand, and Severus slipped the ring onto her finger. He cleared his throat.
"It was my mother's. It had been her grandmother's ring."
Hermione smiled.
"Thank you, sir. It's beautiful."
Hermione looked more closely at the ring. There was a small diamond in the center, but the intricacy of the metalwork on the ring was what was really impressive. The carved ring almost had the appearance of vines wrapped around the center stone. It suited her rather well she thought, as she held out her hand and examined the ring on her left ring finger. Severus' lips quirked.
"Are you ready to go to your parents' home?"
"As ready as I'll be…Professor Snape?"
He raised an eyebrow expectedly. She continued.
"My father is not going to approve of this at all. My mum won't be happy, but Dad will be angry. He met Viktor at a Hogsmeade weekend when he was here during my fourth year, and he berated him in The Three Broomsticks. He said that he was taking advantage of the situation. I worry that he'll rip into you before we can explain the full situation."
Severus didn't betray any feeling on the matter, but he reassured her.
"I frequently have audiences with the Dark Lord. I am confident in my ability to mollify your muggle father."
Hermione nodded and stood finally.
"We should go I suppose."